Category: Mobile Advertising

Businesses that lean heavily on Facebook for advertising will be excited by news out of third quarter social media marketing reports this year. These reports show that spending on Facebook ads not only continues to grow but is also providing higher value for brands that use the network as a social media marketing channel.

Examining Facebook Ad Trends for Q3 2016

Reports on Facebook’s third-quarter figures showed a consensus on trends across the network’s advertising platform. Across available reports, spending, click-through rates, and costs-per-impression have climbed over quarter three of 2015, while costs-per-click have decreased in that time span.

Here are some of the numbers highlighted by this quarter’s social media marketing reports:

Spending on Facebook ads increased by 45% between Q3 of 2015 and Q3 of 2016.

Over the same period, the average CTR has climbed by 14%.

CPMs have climbed by as much as 38% over this period.

Meanwhile, CPCs have actually fallen by as much as 25%.

Retargeted Ads, Audience Network Driving Growth

Two specific drivers have been singled out by social media marketing experts as key to the success of Facebook’s ad program: retargeted ads and Facebook’s Audience Network.

Dynamic product ads, Facebook’s name for its retargeted ad program, accounted for 42% of all Facebook ad clicks in 2016’s third quarter. Spending on retargeted ads rose from 8% of all spending in third quarter of 2015 to 21% in this past quarter.

Meanwhile, Facebook’s Audience Network has allowed the social network to significantly boost traffic numbers. Since 2014, Facebook has been growing its Audience Network, a network of partner sites that host Facebook ads off of the site. By expanding the Audience Network, Facebook has been able to generate a significantly higher number of non-native impressions and clicks, all without seriously compromising its native user experience.

Increased Performance Good News for SMBs

One group sure to be smiling about the third quarter numbers will be small and medium business owners. Recent surveys have found that social media marketing has become the number one marketing channel for owners of SMBs — and second place isn’t even close.

According to one September poll, social media marketing is the first choice of SMBs for both increasing brand awareness and generating revenue. More than 40% of respondents selected social media as their primary marketing channel for both of these goals. Print advertising was second, with less than 15% of respondents naming it their primary channel.

Looking to build your brand’s social media marketing presence on Facebook? If so, Qiigo can help. Call us today at (888) 673-1212 to get started.

Over the past ten years, the mobile ad market has exploded in a way that few could have predicted. With a smartphone in everyone’s pocket, purse, or hand, there are few better channels for reaching high-quality leads, and the market has responded.

So, it should come as no surprise that the growth in mobile ad spending is expected to continue into the 2020s. According to a new report by BIA/Kelsey, that growth will be substantial. In the next five years, the BIA/Kelsey report projects mobile ad spending to more than double, swelling from an estimated $32.6 billion in 2016 to just over $72 billion by 2021.

Here are some of the highlights from their data:

Growth Expected Across Mobile Ad Channels

According to BIA/Kelsey’s data, mobile ad spending is expected to grow across all mobile ad channels. The report covers five specific channels — traditional display, search, messaging, traditional video, and native/social — with each channel expected to grow over the next five years.

Local-Targeted Mobile Ad Spending to Rise

The BIA/Kelsey report was part of a broader report on local-targeted advertising. BIA/Kelsey project that mobile will be the fastest growing segment of the local-targeted advertising market over the next five year. In their projections for local-targeted mobile ad spending, the team behind the report found that spending was set to grow from $12 billion in 2016 to $32 billion in 2021.

According to the report, the major driver of growth across mobile ad spending is the ability to target high-intent consumers. Mobile advertising allows brands to micro-target users in a way that traditional ad channels cannot match. The report also notes that location-targeted ads come at a premium, which drives higher overall spending.

What does this mean for brands? First, brands should prepare to bulk up their mobile ad budgets in upcoming years. Second, brands should be prepared for the costs of mobile ads to drive increased spending. Third, brands should continue to look to Google and Facebook for mobile ad opportunities, as both brands continue to swallow up mobile advertising market share.

Looking to grow your brand’s impact with mobile ads? The team at Qiigo can help. Call us today at (888) 673-1212 to speak with our mobile marketing experts about how you can improve your brand’s mobile marketing efforts.

Filling out forms on your mobile device is never easy. Flipping between keyboards for numbers or characters makes the process time consuming and open to errors. Facebook is making it easier than ever for consumers and businesses to share information via mobile devices.

Facebook’s new Lead Ads auto populates forms based on a user’s Facebook account data. The Lead Ads product has been in the testing phase since June and was rolled out to the general advertiser population in early October.

Leads Ads work on the simple concept that auto filled forms are quick and easy to submit. When using this product, consumers will see the name and email address they’ve provided to Facebook automatically provided in the form’s fields. Consumers can update or change any fields making it easy to customize the information provided to businesses. If everything looks good, the consumer only has to click the ad then click submit to complete the form.

On the advertiser side, Facebook has added the ability to include open ended and multiple choice questions to make it easier to get to the information they need. Advertisers can also add a disclaimer to the form if desired.

Advertisers are forbidden from sharing or selling the data they receive to third parties. Only the advertiser will have access to data submitted via Facebook forms.

With the typical mobile form taking 38% longer to complete than a traditional desktop form, the advent of Leads Ads should make it easier for consumers to supply information and easier for advertisers to get leads from potential customers.

Digital marketing continues to show significant gains in share of advertising spend. Carat recently released updated projections for 2015 and 2016 showing digital as second in spend only to television. Some highlights from the recently released projections include:

Digital ad spend projected to account for 23.9% of share in 2015 and 25.9% share in 2016.

Digital ad spend in 2015 is expected to hit $17.1 billion.

TV continues to lead global market share with 42.2% in 2015 and 41.7% in 2016.

Newspapers and magazines will continue to decline in market share through 2016.

Newspapers are expected to capture 12.8% share in 2015 and 11.8% share in 2016.

Magazines share is expected to drop from 7.3% in 2014 to 6.4% in 2016.

Radio (6.6%), cinema (0.5%) and outdoor (7.1%) are all expected to maintain market share between 2015 and 2016.

These projections are based on a survey of 59 global markets.

This study shows that global ad spend is on the rise with only a few media demonstrating negative market growth. With a quarter of the worldwide population using smartphones, increases in ad spend and market growth are only expected to increase in the future. The impact of digital advertising will only increase as more and more people rely on their smartphone as their primary source of information.

2015 and 2017 projections for US digital display ad totals are out. eMarketer predicts that Facebook and Twitter will combine to account for approximately 33.7% of the US digital display market, or approximately $12.57 billion, by 2017. Total US digital display ad spend is expected to hit $37.36 billion in 2017.

This year’s numbers are looking positive for US digital display ad spend. Spending is expected to hit $27 billion in 2015 with Facebook’s portion totaling $6.82 billion, or about 25% market share.

Twitter is expected to capture 5% market share in 2015 or $1.34 billion. Facebook and Twitter’s market share is expected to continue rising through 2017. By 2017, Facebook should have nearly 27% market share and Twitter should rise to almost 7% market share.

The gains seen by Facebook and Twitter will largely be attributed to mobile marketing. Mobile ad revenues are expected to exceed desktop ad revenues for the first time ever in 2015.

eMarketer projects Google’s market share to remain relatively stable in 2015, at 13%, compared to its 13.7% share in 2014. By 2017 though, Google’s share is projected to decline to 11.1%.

Does your company have a solid strategy for reaching mobile customers and marketing via social media? Call Qiigo at (404) 496-6841 to get a jump on social media and mobile marketing success.

What does this mean for you? Ensuring your website is responsive and mobile-friendly is essential.

Google explains that this change to the algorithm will make it easier for users to find “relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices.” With this change Google will begin labeling sites as mobile-friendly. The changes to the algorithm will also determine if a site should rank higher in the search results.

According to Google, “…We will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results.” You can find more information on this announcement here and test to see if your website is mobile friendly here.

Mobile marketing is here to stay. You may have been hoping to avoid the mobile marketing craze, but it’s past time to embrace this marketing channel. Mobile ad spend is expected to represent over 60% of US digital media spend by 2017. 2015 is almost here so that’s only two years away.

Does your brand have a comprehensive mobile marketing strategy? Consider these elements if you are focusing on mobile marketing in 2015.

Have a Plan. It’s Marketing 101, but in the rush of the work day it can often be overlooked. Can you answer these questions: What are your objectives? How will you measure success? What are the mobile habits of your target market? Know where you are going and how you plan to get there before starting a new campaign.

The Experience Matters. Are all the elements of your campaign mobile compatible? Do you have a mobile optimized website? The answer needs to be yes to both of these important questions. If consumers using a smartphone or tablet land on a website that is not compatible with mobile viewing or is difficult to use on the go, they will move on and they won’t come back.

Make it Quick. You want consumers to interact with your mobile site. Make sure the site loads quickly and is easy to navigate. See ‘The Experience Matters’…If consumers can’t get around on your mobile site with ease, they will head over to the competition.

Be Responsive. Online advertising images and layouts must be responsive. Responsive sites adapt to the size and shape of the device. From large format monitors to the smallest cellphone screen, your site should automatically work and look good. Responsive sites are a must!

Know Your Options. There are several options available when venturing into the mobile space. Know and understand how each type of mobile ad will impact your campaign. Some common mobile ad options include web banners, web posters, MMS advertising, Facebook ads, and Google search ads.

If your brand is looking to start or enhance their mobile advertising strategy, call Qiigo today at (404) 496-6841. We help national brands with online and mobile lead generation efforts.

Mobile marketing isn’t new, but that doesn’t mean that businesses are using it to its fullest capacity. Did you know that approximately 60% of small businesses still don’t have a website, much less a mobile enabled web site. Brands that want to engage consumers and see positive responses from their efforts must include mobile as part of their marketing mix.

Mobile usage continues to be on the rise. On average, people check their smart phones and tablets 150 times per day. Our mobile devices seem to always be in reach. No matter the occasion or where we are, we can access our mobile devices. Recent studies have shown that mobile usage is increasing:

In 2014, time spent on mobile devices is projected to increase by nearly 25% over usage in 2013.

Time spent on mobile devices in 2014 is expected to hit 2 hours and 15 minutes per day.

Time spent on mobile devices is increasing as time spent on PCs is decreasing.

70% of mobile searches regarding businesses prompted a call to the business from the search results.

Slightly more than 50% of US consumers use mobile devices to find information on business product and services.

84% of businesses with newly enabled mobile websites see an increase in business.

Mobile marketing is also shown to be successful in the quest for consumer engagement. Marketers using SMS marketing report response rates as high as 98%. Text message marketing rates high on the engagement spectrum because consumers can be reached anywhere including work, class or if they are engaged in another activity. When people hear the notification chime from a text message, they are inclined to open and read that message.

Mobile apps are also an extremely effective way to engage your consumer. Nearly 90% of time spent on mobile devices is spent within apps. There are millions of apps available and billions of apps are downloaded each year. Some of the most popular apps are social media related. Many brands find success engaging their target markets through a combination of social media and mobile marketing.

Of course, one of the most important aspects of any marketing campaign is content. This is especially true of mobile marketing. Easy access to mobile devices and the ability to easily share information makes the creation of thoughtful, fun and creative content all the more important. When creating content for mobile devices, be sure to pay special attention to your call to action. While the color and placement of your call to action is always important, with mobile marketing you must also consider the size and ease of use. Be sure your call to action button can be touched easily regardless of the user’s finger size.

The recent BIA/Kelsey Consumer Commerce Monitor took a look at how local shopping habits differ between men and women. While the report shows that men are heavily engaged in mobile usage, women’s use of social media and mobile devices has a significant influence on their local shopping decisions.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of women report they use or interact with social media when making local purchases. This compares to only 37% of men. Looking more deeply at social media usage regarding local shopping, we see that 71% of women cite Facebook as their preferred social media site for local shopping. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of women, compared to 63% of men, are active Facebook users. Women are also more likely, 52% vs. 44% of men, to rate the opinions of their Facebook friends as trustworthy or very trustworthy for information on local products and services.

Facebook isn’t the only social media site garnering attention from women. Women are 3x more likely to use Pinterest as men. 29% of women report using Pinterest versus only 11% of men.

Women are also more likely to use their mobile devices while shopping than men. Approximately 39% of women report using their mobile device while shopping locally compared to only 35% of men. In-store usage is also higher among women with 75% saying they use their mobile in-store compared to only 59% of men. Seventy-two percent (72%) of women use their phone in public and 66% use their mobile in transit compared to 64% and 52% of men respectively.

Is your brand targeting women on mobile devices and interacting with them via social media? Qiigo can help you establish effective online marketing strategies to reach all your target markets. Call us today at (404) 496-6841.

BIA/Kelsey recently revealed projections for social media ad revenue growth through 2018. In their 2014 U.S. Social Local Media Forecast, BIA/Kelsey projects social media ad revenues to grow from $5.1 billion in 2013 to $15 billion in 2018. This represents a 24% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

2014 social media ad revenues are expected to rise to $8.4 billion. This increase over the $5.1 billion in revenues in 2013 represents the largest year over year increase in social media ad revenues. The growth between 2013 and 2014 has been driven by mobile and native advertising spend. Native advertising is largely defined as purchased ads that mimic the content on the site. For example, Facebook sponsored stories and Twitter promoted tweets are largely considered native ads.

The 2014 Social Local Media Forecast also projects social display ad revenues would grow to $5.6 billion in 2018 from the $3.3 billion seen in 2013. This represents a CAGR of 11.3%. Social native advertising revenues are expected to increase from $1.8 billion in 2013 to $9.4 billion in 2018. Social native advertising is expected to eclipse social display in 2015 when social native ad spend is projected to come in at $5.3 billion vs. social display at $4.7 billion.

BIA/Kelsey also predicts mobile social ad revenue will surpass desktop social ad revenue by 2018. With a 31.6% CAGR, locally targeted social advertising is expected to increase from $1.3 billion in 2013 to $5.2 billion in 2018.

Social media advertising is growing in importance. What percentage of your media budget is allotted to social media and mobile marketing? For proven internet marketing strategies, call Qiigo at (404) 496-6841.